Where do I begin my pattern identification?
First of all I look at the back mark. With the following knowledge - which may be considered over simplification - I can identify most of the Antique Haviland China that I come in contact with. On a rare occasion I need to turn to my reference books for an unusual mark.
The 4 found most often are variations of the following -
1) The H & Co back mark. This is one of the oldest Haviland & Company marks dating to the late 1800's. Variations of the H & Co stamp are found and some date as early as the 1860's.
There are 2 marks on the back of Antique Haviland china - one represents the manufacturer and the other represents the decorator. If there is just one mark the china was sold as whiteware and usually decorated elsewhere. Sometimes there is also a mark representing the store the china was produced for.
2) The Haviland France back mark. This mark is the one most often found and dates to c.1894-1931. This was the period during which most Haviland china was sold. Again these marks are also found combined with store marks. Also the rarely found patterns that were named and identified by Haviland appear with these back marks.
3) The Theodore Haviland mark. This commonly found mark and its variations date from 1893 to the early 1900's. Theodore was the son of David Haviland. He dissolved his partnership with his brother and set up his own company. His pieces at first had only an impressed TH mark later to include the marks shown. These back marks also sometimes include store names. If a store ordered a certain amount of china the store name was included as part of the back mark. Sometimes an exclusive variation (a special border or gold trim) of a pattern was made for a particular store.
4) The Charles Field Haviland mark. Charles F Haviland was the nephew of David Haviland and opened his own company in the late 1800's in competition with his uncle's Haviland & Company. Later Charles joined with GDM ( Gerard, Dufraisseix and Morel). A back mark in combination with GDA is often found.
Arlene Schleiger divided her books into sections according to these manufacturers - Haviland & Company, Theodore Haviland, Charles F Haviland.
Continuing the process of Identifying Antique Haviland Limoges China - watch for future blogs.
A large collection of Antique Haviland Limoges China is available for purchase at Holly Lane Antiques.
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